Do Gophers Eat Fig Roots?

by Claire Splan

Gophers love to gnaw at the roots of fig trees.

Many growers have watched with dismay as their fig trees (Ficus carica; U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10) died for no apparent reason, only to discover later that the trees had no roots left. They had all been gnawed away by hungry gophers, who consider fig roots to be most delectable. There are ways to outwit your neighborhood gophers and protect your fig tree, but doing so takes a little bit of planning.

Underground Cages

A common method of protection is to plant young fig trees with the root ball inside a large wire basket or surrounded by metal screening. Although small roots may grow outside of the caging, the biggest roots will be protected and the barrier will prevent gophers from doing enough damage to the tree to kill it. It's important that the cage reach from the soil line to at least one foot deep.

Container Planting

An even more secure method of protecting your fig tree is to plant it in a container or raised bed. Container planting will keep the tree smaller than it would be in the ground, but it will still be productive and having the root ball above ground level makes it impossible for gophers to reach.

Grain or Gravel Barriers

Planting a strip of an annual grain such as amaranth, millet or rye surrounding the fig tree will also create a barrier for gophers. Gophers will bypass the roots of grains because they don't provide enough food material for them, so the fig roots growing inside the grain barrier will also go untouched. Similarly, a 6-inch-deep barrier of coarse gravel surrounding the tree will discourage gophers from tunneling further.

Bare Ground

One last option for protecting your fig tree from gophers is to keep a wide circle of ground surrounding the tree completely bare. Gophers will be less likely to keep tunneling through the empty soil with no other roots to nibble on until they reach the fig roots. With one or more of these precautions taken, your fig tree will have a better chance of avoiding ending up on a gopher's menu.

About the Author

Claire Splan is a writer and editor living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the author of "California Month-by-Month Gardening" and "California Fruit and Vegetable Gardening" (both published by Cool Springs Press) and blogs about gardening at An Alameda Garden (http://www.alamedagarden.blogspot.com).

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